WASHINGTON (3-5) AT MINNESOTA (1-7) TV: NFL Network, 5:15 PST. Line: Redskins by 2 1/2. Over/under: 50 1/2. Sam Farmer's pick: Robert Griffin III is coming off his best game of the season, and he got good protection in that overtime victory over San Diego. He faces a defense that is missing three starters in the secondary and its two top nose tackles. Redskins 27, Vikings 24

Minnesota seems to have found a winning combination with defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys running things from the sideline and head coach Jerry Kill watching from the booth and giving inspirational - even prophetic - speeches. Kill has epilepsy, and he has been on medical leave since having the fifth game-day seizure of his career, before the Gophers played Michigan on Oct 5. After getting routed by the Wolverines, 42-13, Minnesota had a week off to regroup before playing at Northwestern.

University of Minnesota football Coach Jerry Kill said Thursday he is taking a leave from his duties to continue medical treatment for his epileptic seizures. "My wife Rebecca, myself and our two daughters want to thank everyone for their prayers and concerns during the last few weeks,” Kill said in a statement. “This was a difficult decision to make, but the right decision. Our staff has been together a long time and I have full confidence in Coach [Tracy] Claeys and them during my time away.

It was said to have been a disastrous seven days for classical music in America. "Hell week" is what Russell Platt called it in the New Yorker last week. New York City Opera declared bankruptcy and shut down. Minnesota Orchestra's music director Osmo Vänskä resigned in frustration over a contract dispute that forced management to cancel all of last season and, still unresolved, resulted in the cancellation of a high-profile tour to Carnegie Hall next month. Speaking of Carnegie, the country's most famous hall canceled its opening night gala last week because of a strike by the stagehands.

All the pain, frustration and waiting will be over for Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell on Thursday night when he returns to the NHL ice, fittingly, at the venue where he made his name. “I feel excited and fortunate to be in this spot,” Mitchell said Wednesday after the Kings' practiced in El Segundo before boarding a flight to play their regular-season opener at 5 p.m. Thursday against the Minnesota Wild at XCel Energy Center. “There's a sense of satisfaction. I did have to work hard for this.

To make the playoffs, the Lakers need to be better than seven teams in the Western Conference. In the first eight of 14 entries, the Lakers were ruled better than the New Orleans Pelicans , Phoenix Suns , Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz but not as good as the Oklahoma City Thunder , San Antonio Spurs , Memphis Grizzlies and Clippers . Are the Lakers better than the Minnesota Timberwolves? Point guard The Timberwolves have one of the most intriguing young point guards in the league in Ricky Rubio.

The Minnesota Orchestra, which has been embroiled in a labor dispute for the past 12 months, has lost its music director, Osmo Vänskä. The Finnish conductor announced his resignation Tuesday morning as hopes for a resolution between management and musicians fell through once again. Vänskä, who joined the orchestra in 2003 and whose contract was set to expire in 2015, said in a statement that it was a "very sad day" and that he sends his "deepest thanks to everyone involved for what we have achieved together.

With the Kings heading off to the gambling capital of the world, Las Vegas, for two exhibitions, it almost seemed appropriate to ask a percentage-based question. Kings captain Dustin Brown continues to improve in his recovery from a hamstring injury … so what are the chances he will be in the lineup for the season opener Thursday against Minnesota at Xcel Energy Center? "If you ask me - 100%. Barring no setbacks," Brown said Thursday after practice. "If you ask me today: Will I be playing in Minnesota?